


Teaspoon :: Mind Control by cheri

by Cheriluvs10



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-05
Updated: 2014-08-19
Packaged: 2018-02-11 22:29:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2085567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheriluvs10/pseuds/Cheriluvs10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ten/Rose. The Doctor and Rose are kidnapped and put into a reality show setting. Rose is being controlled and sent to kill the Doctor. Can she break free of the control before it's too late?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> * * *

 

 

Mind Control by cheri

**Summary:** Ten/Rose. The Doctor and Rose are kidnapped and put into a reality show setting. Rose is being controlled and sent to kill the Doctor. Can she break free of the control before it's too late?  
 **Rating:** All Ages  
 **Categories:** Tenth Doctor  
 **Characters:** Rose Tyler, The Doctor (10th)  
 **Genres:** Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Het, Horror, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Standalone  
 **Warnings:** Explicit Violence, Swearing  
 **Challenges:** None  
 **Series:** None  
 **Published:** 2013.03.09  
 **Updated:** 2013.03.09

 

Mind Control by cheri

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:**

* * *

  
Chapter One

The Doctor sprinted up the steep hill, trying to put some distance between himself and Rose. They had landed on a distant planet, intending to explore the terrain but they were captured by some humans who took them back to their city. There they were separated, the humans took his sonic so he couldn't use it and now the Doctor found himself in some sort of survival reality show. Rose had been brainwashed into being his assassin after they put a brainwashing collar around her neck. So far, the Doctor hadn't seen any other combatants so he assumed it was just him and Rose. He knew what he was capable of; he knew he could snap her neck in a heartbeat and have done with it or knock her out and take the blaster they gave her. But he knew she wasn't in control of herself and he didn't want to hurt her needlessly so he decided to run until he could think of a strategy to get the upper hand without hurting the woman he loved.

He reached the top of the hill and found a cave nestled in between some trees. He ducked his head in and found it was empty and shallow. He considered abandoning it and moving on but then he had an idea and slipped inside. He waited at the back of the cave and watched through the opening while Rose came up the hill. She paused and looked around before spying the cave. The Doctor pressed himself up against the back of it while Rose slowly walked towards it, her blaster in front of her, pointing at the entrance. She came to the entrance and froze when she saw the Doctor. The Doctor waited for her to fire the blaster but she didn't. In fact, he noticed her lowering it a bit and that gave him hope.

"Hello, Rose," he said to her.

"I must kill you," Rose said in a flat, toneless voice.

"Then do it," the Doctor said, betting on his companion's love and loyalty for him.

Rose stood there, the blaster pointed at him but she didn't fire and didn't move from the entrance. The Doctor leaned up against the wall, waiting for her to make a move.

"I must kill you," she repeated.

"Then do it," the Doctor repeated.

He waited and smiled when he saw the indecision on her face. He knew she was battling against the hypnotic suggestion. He could see her struggle and knew she was fighting the collar.

"You killed my family," Rose said, "in the Time War."

"So…that's the suggestion they gave you, eh?" the Doctor said. "You weren't alive during the Time War, Rose. Jackie was probably a preteen or teenager when it happened. And you're from Earth. Think! Remember who you are."

"You killed my family. You must die!" Rose said.

"Kill me then, I'm unarmed. I'm just standing here so kill me," the Doctor said with a shrug.

Rose's hand was trembling and he knew she was fighting it. He decided to push his luck and started walking towards her. Rose stiffened and aimed the blaster at him and the Doctor stopped and waited but she still didn't fire and now her expression was strained and her hands were trembling badly. The Doctor reached out and touched her face, intending to stroke it but Rose stepped back.

"You know who I am," he said softly to her, noting that she only stepped back a couple of paces but didn't run. "That's why you can't kill me. I'm unarmed, I'm standing here without fighting you but you can't do it, can you?"

"You must die," Rose said in a flat tone of voice.

The Doctor began to sing softly to her, sing her a familiar song in Gallifreyan. A song he sang to her one night while she was having nightmares. He climbed in beside her and held her while he sang. When she asked what it meant, he told her the story of two starcrossed lovers who couldn't be together and in despair, the woman jumped off a cliff. When the man heard about it, he did the same thing and because the chasm below the cliff was so deep, the lovers were never found and their bodies ended up together at the bottom of the chasm. Rose joked that it was a morbid song to be singing to someone with a nightmare but she often asked to hear the song after that. Now he could see her eyes misting over and when she touched her face this time, she didn't flinch or move back.

"See, you know deep inside who I really am," he said as he stroked her cheek.

He sang softly to her and realized that his singing was keeping her calm and allowing him to get closer. She still held the blaster up but he was able to keep moving past it and he pulled it away from her while he continued to sing. He stroked her cheek as he put the blaster into his pocket. Rose's mouth was opening and closing but no sound was coming out and he knew she was trying to speak to him. He figured she was trying to tell her to help him or call his name.

"It's okay, I'm here," he said softly. "I'll get you out of this somehow. You trust me, don't you?"

Again, the straining and the opening and closing of the mouth. The Doctor sang the song as he leaned in to look at the collar. There was a tiny lock. He needed a key but it looked simple enough to crack. He rubbed Rose's back while he continued to sing.

"That's it, just relax and keep calm," he murmured to her as he fingered the lock.

He decided to try something else. He suddenly went around her and strolled calmly out of the cave. He glanced over his shoulder and noticed Rose was following but he noticed she looked lost, like she was confused and unsure what to do except follow him. The Doctor led her to the edge of the hill and looked down at the rocky, tree lined ground. He looked at Rose who had come up behind him and stopped.

"Push me, I'll probably hit a rock or tree or break my neck on the way down," he said to her.

He waited but again, Rose was resisting the mind control. He put his hand against her cheek but she didn't resist that either.

"You're confused, aren't you?" he murmured as he stroked her cheek. "You can't kill me and that's your primary order. You don't know what to do so you're following me."

"I…"

"Yes?" the Doctor said when she trailed off.

"I…"

"Fight it, Rose. I know you can do it," the Doctor said.

Rose's face tightened and the Doctor knew she was trying to fight the mind control. He began to urge her to fight harder, hoping that would be enough to break the grip over her mind.

"Doctor…"

He brightened when Rose managed to say his name. He was about to say something to her to urge her further when suddenly a bright light surrounded them and they both vanished into thin air.

* * *

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
This story archived at <http://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=49700>


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The Doctor jerked his body around when the light faded and he found himself inside a polished steel room. The walls and room were bare except for a huge plate glass window embedded in the wall to his right. There was no door that he could see so he went to the window and pounded on it as hard as he could. The glass didn't yield so the Doctor looked through the window and he gnashed his teeth when he made out the silhouette of Rose standing near the back of the dark room. He yelled her name but Rose didn't respond or walk towards him. He pounded on the window again to get her attention but there was still no response so he gave up and paced around the room while he waited for something to happen.

He stopped when out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the wall shimmering and melting and forming a doorway. He glanced over at the darkened room as an alien entered with blaster aimed at him. The alien was tall, a humanoid snake with a rattlesnake head and a short tail with ten rattles on it. He was dressed in a black spandex jumpsuit and black boots. He had humanlike hands and was brown and scaly. His yellow eyes narrowed as he stepped in front of the Doctor and the wall reformed behind him.

"The Slithar," the Doctor said, naming them. "One of the cruelest and most sadistic species in the galaxy. A species that enjoys their bloodsports. But unfortunately for you, you kidnapped the wrong people this time."

"You are sure of yourself, Hairless Pink One," the Slithar hissed at him. "Many others have made claims such as yours and they found death as you will find death."

"And what of Rose?" the Doctor snarled as he pointed to the window. "Are you going to recondition her since she was breaking through your brainwashing."

"No, we have grown bored with the female. You seem to be much more interesting as an assassin. It is you who will become our mind slave next and then you will hunt the female, torture and kill her for our amusement."

The Doctor smirked at that. He was used to hearing threats like this and many people from the Master to the Daleks had tried to take control of him in the past but his mind always proved to be stronger than whatever they threw at him. But he knew if he didn't do something, they would harm Rose and possibly brainwash her to the point that she no longer remembered him. He had to take a risk in order to protect his lover from further harm. Besides, if he pretended to be under their control…he could gain the upper hand with them being none the wiser.

"Very well, I will submit to your control under one condition. Rose's mind is left untouched. If you do that, I will give myself to you for your amusement."

The Slithar sniggered at that.

"What is your name, Brave One?" he said to the Doctor.

"I am called the Doctor and you?"

"I am Cathar, one of the programmers here," he said, sticking out his chest proudly.

"Very well, Cathar, do you accept my offer?" the Doctor said.

Cathar studied him for a moment before he grinned and nodded.

"Very well, Doctor. We will spare your Rose's mind but she will still participate in the games," he said to him.

"As long as you leave her mind alone, I will agree to that. My Rose can beat your game with no trouble."

Cathar snickered at that.

"You are quite brave and very sure of yourself, Doctor," he said. "But let's see how sure you are when you are under our influence."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Rose slowly opened her eyes and raised her head. She wasn't sure what was going on but she was lying on the ground in the middle of a forest. She remembered being with the Doctor in this forest, the two of them walking along and chatting when something seized her from behind and put a black hood over her face. Then she felt a gun against her back and a sudden shot of electricity and then there was nothing until now.

But the more she thought, she did remember vaguely seeing the Doctor again. They were standing in the woods and she remembered the Doctor daring her to kill him. Which seemed odd to her. Why would the Doctor say something like that? Perhaps she imagined it. Speaking of the Doctor…

She rose up and looked around but could see no sign of the Doctor. The forest was dense and she couldn't see much beyond the trees around her. She heard birdsong but when she called to the Doctor, there was no reply. She was beginning to panic now, wondering what they might have done with him. She couldn't see what happened to him but she was sure he probably had the same hood put over his face and the same jolt of electricity go through his body. But as she sat there, she realized that she wasn't getting anything done so she got to her feet so she could go search for him.

She started to move and then something caught her eye as she glanced at a nearby tree. The sunlight flashed off something in the tree branches for a second but it was enough to draw her attention to it. She walked over to the tree and was shocked to see a camera lens was aimed at her. She stepped past the tree and looked at the back of it and saw the back of a small camera was affixed to a large tree limb. She couldn't see what was holding it so she guessed the bottom had been bolted to it since it was perched precariously and would have fallen out before now.

"What is going on?" Rose muttered to herself before walking away.

As she walked, she noticed several more cameras perched in trees. As she passed by one, she defiantly flipped it off and at another she made a face and stuck her tongue out. Finally, after five minutes, she stopped at another camera and positioned herself so the lens could see her.

"Listen, you lot, whatever you did with the Doctor, you better hand him over this instant or you're gonna be sorry!" she yelled at it.

She waited for a response and sighed when all she heard was more birdsong.

"Wankers," she muttered under her breath as she walked on.

While she walked, she suddenly had a sense that she was being followed. She stopped for a moment and listened but there was only the birdsong and the rustling in the trees. She turned around and scanned the forest but she couldn't see anything. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

"Doctor," she said with a nervousness that she was unable to hide. "Doctor, are you there?"

There was no response so Rose turned back around. She glanced over her shoulder again before glaring at the camera and moving on. She walked for another two minutes before she heard a twig snap behind her and she froze in her tracks. She turned and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the Doctor standing behind her, hands in his pockets while he stared at her with a blank look on his face.

"Doctor, thank God it's you," Rose said, holding her hand over her rapidly beating heart. "I was afraid it was the people who kidnapped us. What happened, are you alright?"

"I must kill you," the Doctor said in a dull voice.

"What?" Rose said, sure she didn't hear right.

The Doctor pulled his right hand out of his pocket and Rose gasped when she saw a long dagger with a carved wooden hilt.

"I must kill you. I will obey my Slithar masters," he said in the same dull voice.

Rose backed up, her heart racing again.

"Doctor, this isn't funny," she said in a shaky voice.

"I must kill you. You are no longer my friend."

"Doctor, stop this, please. It's not funny," Rose said, hoping and praying this was some weird joke the Doctor was playing on her.

"You will die now!" the Doctor said in the dull voice.

Rose gasped as he ran towards her with the dagger raised and without another thought, she turned and ran for her life as her brainwashed lover pursued her.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Cathar chuckled as he watched the footage in the control room. A moment ago, the hairless ape was being cocky and defiant and now she was scrambling through the forest while her brainwashed associate tried to kill her.

"You aren't so brave now, are you, little one," he purred as he watched Rose scrambling over some large rocks with the Doctor not too far behind her.

He watched the Doctor with a smirk on his face. The Doctor had a blank look while he continued to pursue Rose.

"And you," he said, pointing to the Doctor, "you were defiant as well. But you seem to be made of stronger stuff than the female. Perhaps after you finish with her, we will keep you and train you to be a gladiator. "

He chuckled softly as he continued to watch the monitor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rose ran behind a large boulder and gasped for air. She couldn't run any more. Her legs felt like jelly and her lungs felt like they were about to explode. She wished the Doctor would just give up but she knew Hell would freeze over before that happened. The only options were to hide or outwit him and at the moment, she was too tired to think let alone outwit the Doctor. But where to hide?

She glanced over her shoulder and tried to will her legs to move again, knowing that the Doctor was close but she could only manage five steps before she collapsed to her knees, panting.

"Oh God, this is it, he's going to kill me," Rose panted as she sucked in lungfuls of air.

She glanced over her shoulder and her blood chilled when she saw the Doctor coming around the boulder. She debated whether or not to beg for mercy but she could tell from the blank look in his eyes that it might be a waste of breath she didn't really have. She decided to face death with dignity and hoped that the Doctor wouldn't remember killing her and living with the guilt the rest of his life. With shaky legs, she got to her feet and stood before him as the Doctor approached.

"I'm not afraid," Rose said, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.

The Doctor stopped about a foot in front of her and stared at her with a blank look on his face. Rose glanced down at the dagger in his right hand and the long blade that protruded from the hilt and she prayed that it was sharp.

"Beg for mercy."

Rose jerked her head up when she heard the Doctor's dull voice. She stared at him and thought she saw the corners of his mouth upturn slightly and a hint of a twinkle in his eyes. But she figured it could also be her hopeful imagination too.

"Beg for mercy," the Doctor repeated.

This time there was a wink and Rose knew that he wasn't under any control, only pretending. Her heart began to slow back to its normal rhythm as she realized she wasn't going to die.

"Beg for mercy, Rose," the Doctor repeated.

"Please," Rose said, aware that they were being watched.

She knew this was the idea. They were being watched and the Doctor wanted her to show fear but she felt silly pleading for her life like this. But the Doctor gave her a withering look before assuming the blank look again and she knew she should do something to convince their captors that something wasn't wrong. So she fell to her knees and clasped her hands together as she looked up at the Doctor, hoping her performance wasn't too corny.

"Please, I beg you, have mercy," she said, feeling even more corny since she'd seen people say that a million times in schlocky films.

"Why should I have mercy on you?" the Doctor said.

Rose was thrown for a loop. She saw a bit of a smile on the Doctor's face and it peeved her that he was enjoying this at her expense. When she didn't answer, he waved the blade of the dagger back and forth in front of her face.

"Why should I spare your life?" the Doctor repeated.

The Doctor bit his lip at the annoyed look that crossed Rose's face for a moment before she feigned fear.

"Because I…can serve you," she said.

She knew she said the wrong thing when she saw the amused look on the Doctor's face.

"In what way can you serve me?" he said, not even trying to look like he was under control.

"Doctor, stop it?" Rose muttered to him.

"In what way can you serve me?" the Doctor said emphatically.

Rose sighed.

"I will be your slave," she said, trying not to appear annoyed.

"Rise."

Rose was taken aback by the request for a moment before getting to her feet. The Doctor said nothing, just gestured over her shoulder with the dagger, indicating she should turn and walk. Rose, wondering what the Doctor was up to, turned and began to walk slowly through the woods with the Doctor following close behind her. Just when she wondered where they were going, she heard the Doctor clear his throat and to her shock, begin to sing loudly and off-key.

"Ooooh, I once set out one afternoon, walking on a planet by the light of a moon and while I was walking there came this tuuuuuune…and I shall sing it now. Rose Tyler is a big fat cow, not a dog or a pog or a big fat sow, not a little cat that says meow, she's a big fat bloody cow!"

Rose gasped at that and turned around but the Doctor was waving the dagger at her and winking. Rose glared at him, half wanting to plunge the dagger into his eye before she slowly turned back around.

"I am now evil," she heard the Doctor say, "and so I say evil, hurtful things to the woman I care about."

"No, you're a wanker and you say evil, hurtful things to the woman who's gonna deck ya," Rose growled at him.

"Stop!"

Rose found herself stopping without thinking because of the authority the Doctor's voice carried. She stood there and eyed the Doctor as he walked around her, dagger in hand. He had a smirk on his face and Rose wondered if she should punch him in the mouth to teach him a lesson.

"So…what will you do for me, Slave?" the Doctor said airily as he waved the dagger back and forth in front of her face.

"Doctor, you know you're being filmed and people are watching, yeah?" Rose said, pointing to a camera in the tree behind him.

The Doctor spun around and to Rose's surprise he screamed "AAAAAAAAH!" at the camera for twenty seconds before he spun back around.

"Do I care that I'm being watched?" he said to Rose.

"Um…apparently not," Rose said.

"Darn tootin' I don't," the Doctor said. "Let the lizard gits come and get me. I'm ready for them. HEAR THAT, I'M READY FOR YA!" he yelled over his shoulder at the camera. "AAAAAAAAAAH!" he yelled as he spun around and faced the camera. "HA! I'M INCAPABLE OF BEING BRAINWASHED BY GITS SUCH AS YOURSELVES! AND FURTHERMORE, YOU LET ME FIND ROSE AND NOW SHE'S UNDER MY PROTECTION…AND SHE'S A BIG FAT COW, BUT DON'T TELL HER THAT AND…oh, hi Rose," he said, spinning back around. "I didn't see you standing there."

Rose giggled in spite of herself while the Doctor gave her a loving look.

"You are a git and a arsehole and you act like you're five years old sometimes," Rose said, trying to be angry at him but failing.

"Yup, yup and most of the time, yup," the Doctor said. "So, ready to snare us some snakes then?"

"Is that what we're up against?" Rose said.

"Yes, humanoid snake creatures with big fangs and big tempers who want us to kill one another for fun. So, interested?"

"Um…in stopping them. I'm not interested in dying," Rose said.

"My thoughts exactly and with that…"

Rose's eyes boggled when the Doctor undid his trousers, pulled down his pants and briefly mooned the camera before pulling his pants and trousers back up and fastening them.

"Okay, I think we better start running now," Rose said.

"My thoughts exactly. Shall we, Slave?"

"After you, Master."

The Doctor grinned, seized her hand and they ran deeper into the forest.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Cathar was livid as he watched the footage of the Doctor mooning him. The cameras had heat sensor devices on them that alerted them if something warm was nearby and they automatically switched on and off, filming whatever was there. So he had been following the Doctor and Rose's progress through the forest after the Doctor had finally caught up to her. At first, it looked like he might kill her but then he realized that he had been duped by the Time Lord and the sight of his bare buttocks waving cheekily at the camera was enough to enrage him.

"I will not let two hairless mammals defy me!" he yelled to the stunned programmers. "Stop them from escaping! Kill them!"

The programmers nodded meekly and sat back down. The talked amongst themselves before they decided to release the first peril.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Doctor, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Rose said as she followed him deeper into the woods.

"No, but that's usually the norm with me, yeah?" the Doctor said.

"But…they're watching our every move," Rose said, pointing to another camera in a tree.

She gasped when the Doctor grabbed hold of the limb the camera was sitting on, pulled himself up to the lens and mooed into the camera in a deep voice before dropping to the ground.

"That oughta hold the viewing public's attention for twenty minutes or so," he said to Rose as he walked away.

Rose couldn't help herself and burst out laughing at that which made the Doctor grin.

"See, you and me, just thumbing our nose at danger, same as always," he said to her.

He whispered into Rose's ear and then held her up to the camera. Rose laughed a moment before braying at the camera like a donkey. The Doctor sat her down and he flipped the camera the vees. Rose followed suit before they both walked away. Despite the sudden levity, Rose knew that whoever was doing this wasn't about to let them get away with insulting them and walking away without a fight. So she glanced around nervously while the Doctor continued to stroll through the forest, seemingly unconcerned.

"I know something you don't knoooooow," the Doctor said in a singsong voice as they walked.

"What?" Rose said. "What do you know that I don't."

The Doctor didn't answer that but kept on walking. Rose wondered what he was on about when suddenly they heard a low growling behind them. They turned and Rose gasped when a huge creature stepped out of the trees and came towards them. It was about the size of a pony but it looked like a cross between a dog and a boar. It had a boar's body with a Doberman type head and boar tusks that jutted out from its mouth, white and sharp. It opened its mouth to growl and Rose saw a mouth filled with sharp teeth to accompany the tusks. Rose glanced at the Doctor but the Doctor was standing there, unconcerned, with his hands in his pockets.

"Put your arm through mine," he said to Rose as the creature growled menacingly.

Rose did as he said and threaded her arm through his and stayed close to him while the creature growled and snarled at him.

"I assume this is my punishment for showing my buttocks to the higher-ups?" he said to Rose.

"Yeah, I'm sure it is," Rose stammered as her heart beat rapidly in her chest.

She looked at the Doctor and there was that same look of unconcern on his face. She wondered if he was completely mad, at least madder than usual. This beast was about to attack and he was looking upon it as if it were a Chihuahua.

"Soooo, what are you then? A dog boar, a boar dog, a boring dog?" the Doctor was saying to the growling creature. "Were you sent by Slytherin House to kil us, is that why you're here being menacing and all?"

"Doctor, this isn't the time for fun," Rose said tersely. "That thing is gonna kill us."

"Pish tosh, I'm not afraid of a slobbering, mangy pig dog," the Doctor said, sticking out his chest. "Come on, Fido, do your worst!"

The creature crouched down and Rose tensed and shut her eyes tightly, waiting for the moment when it pounced on them. She heard the creature let out a howl and then suddenly she saw a bright light beyond her eyelids and she felt herself becoming lighter than air.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Cathar gasped as a bright light suddenly enveloped the Doctor and Rose and blinded him as he watched the monitor. He wasn't the only one. The other programmers gasped and yelled in shock as the light temporarily blinded them too. Cathar rubbed his eyes and he listened to the cries of shock when he saw for himself that Rose and the Doctor had vanished into thin air, leaving behind a very confused Vor. The Vor sniffed at the spot where they vanished while Cathar yelled at his staff to find the Doctor and Rose.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After thirty seconds, Rose felt like she was back to normal and the bright light was gone. She still kept her eyes shut; for fear that the creature was still there. She wondered briefly if the bright light was the tunnel and she had died and not known it.

Then she felt soft lips on the side of her head along with the soft murmuring of her name. Rose opened one eye and was shocked when she saw the TARDIS console was in front of her. The TARDIS was powered down so it hadn't made its usual humming but all the same, Rose wondered how they got inside the TARDIS as she opened her eyes.

"I know something you don't knooooow," the Doctor said in the same singsong voice as Rose looked around the room, wondering if it was an illusion.

"Are we really inside the TARDIS?" Rose said.

"We are."

"How did we get here?" Rose said.

The Doctor reached into his pocket and showed her a small, black remote control with several black buttons on it.

"Remember when that transmat beam took you from the Gamestation to the Dalek ship," he said. "I was thinking about that and hit upon the idea to make one of my own. What just happened, Rose Tyler, is you and I were transmatted back to the TARDIS and out of danger. So you see, Pig Dog was a stupid git who had no chance of getting us."

Rose gasped and the Doctor grinned when she hugged him in relief. The Doctor eagerly returned the hug and they stayed that way for fifteen seconds before Rose had a thought and stepped back.

"So…we're just going to fly away then?" she said to him.

"No, this bloodsport needs to be stopped," the Doctor said. "What we're doing now is taking a breather and I'm showing you what this device can do. I can transmat us out of danger so I say we should thumb our nose a bit more at our captors before paying them a visit. Interested?"

"As long as you're there with me," Rose said.

"Weeeell, actually I was going to sit here and eat a bowl of ice cream and watch you scream via the monitor," the Doctor said, pointing to the monitor on the console. "I was feeling a bit peckish and I'm old and decrepit and you're young and strong and you can outrun a pig dog with no problem. Or…I can come with you," he said when Rose eyed him and cocked her eyebrow.

Rose grinned and smiled when the Doctor pulled her close and gave her another kiss on the head.

"You just hang on to me somehow when I'm ready to transmat and you'll be pulled along with me," he said.

Rose nodded. The Doctor put his arm around her and asked her if she was ready. Rose nodded and shut her eyes while the Doctor put the remote back in his pocket and pushed the button.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Cathar was shocked when he suddenly heard someone yelling on the monitor behind him. He was yelling at his staff and castigating them for not finding their captives when he suddenly heard their tinny voices coming from the screen. He turned in shock and watched as they flipped the vees at the camera and shouted crude things.

"Sir, they're back on screen," another programmer said behind him.

"I can see that, you fool, I have eyes!" Cathar yelled, whirling on him.

The programmer nodded sheepishly and turned his eyes back to his monitor while Cathar turned back around.

"Hey, Cathar, nice pet, is he yours?" the Doctor jeered at the camera while Rose giggled. "Me, I like a nice yorkie but you know, some people like big dogs."

"Does he sleep in bed with ya?" Rose yelled up at the camera.

"And not only that, is he your girlfriend?" the Doctor yelled.

Cathar hissed in fury as the Doctor and Rose laughed at that.

"Triangulate their location and kill them!" Cathar said as he spun around. "I don't care if the Doctor lives or not, just finish them!"

The programmers nodded and rapidly keyed in some instructions.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I love taking the mick out of pompous idiots," the Doctor said to Rose. "Being cheeky is so much fun. Much funner than shooting them."

"Funner?" Rose said, bemused.

"Yes. It's funner to make fun of funny people, Rose," the Doctor said while Rose sniggered. "I hearby declare that funner is a word! So there!"

"So what happens next then?" Rose asked him.

They heard some hissing behind them and the Doctor and Rose turned to see several large cobras slithering out of the woods towards them.

"Apparently, we're going to meet Cathar's sisters now," the Doctor said as he put his arm around Rose.


End file.
